Veronika is nearly 8 months old and just yesterday she started… clapping! I was so excited about this milestone, so to encourage the action again today, big brother and I sat down to sing a few clapping songs with her.

First we sang “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” She sure was happy, but it didn’t inspire her to repeat the gesture from the day before.

Next up was “Patty Cake”, an old favorite. Again, she smiled but just listened.

Then we sang this silly, sort of tuneless ditty:

Clap, clap, clap your hands

Clap along with me

Clap, clap, clap your hands

Until it’s time for tea.

Well this got her clapping! She was so quick with her movements that my camera only ever captured the hands clasped, not the full motion. But she was doing it!

(Note: Repeat this ditty with “stomp your feet”, or “pat your knees” to encourage the next milestone movement).

Veronika also loves to clap hands after knocking down block towers, so Travis and I were happy to oblige.

You can even see a quick clip of it about 4 seconds into this video.

When did your little one start clapping? Please share in the comments about this fun milestone.